Al Raisi credits OTTC for international reach

Fahad Abdullah al Raisi, Director General of Sports Development and Welfare, lauded the Oman Table Tennis Committee (OTTC) for its efforts in hosting international tournaments. “Since its establishment in 2014, OTTC is one of the active committees and trying to spread the sport among all sections. Having more than 200 participants from 40 countries is a real indication that the Sultanate can hold top events including the world ranking competitions,” he said. Al Raisi pointed out that this kind of tournaments are immense examples to learn and develop the sport at the domestic level. “Everyone in his field can learn including the player to gain good experience from top ranking players, referees to develop their umpiring skills and OTTC members to acquire the best practices to organise top level events,” he added. The DG of Sports Development appreciated all the efforts that have been taken by the members of the organising committee to host such big events. Also, he thanked media for its great coverage on the event that included live streaming on four different TV channels. TIE-UP WITH CYPRUS Andreas Georgiou, chairman of Cyprus Table Tennis Federation, stated that he had an effective discussion with Oman Table Tennis Committee chairman Abdullah Bamakhalef to raise the partnership level between both the countries. “We would love to see Oman national team taking part in the friendly tournament in Cyprus alongside other countries. I discussed with the OTTC chairman to extend the relationship and share the experience in order to increase the performance of the players and the technical staff,” he added. Georgiou appreciated the OTTC initiative to bring school students to support the players during the competitions. “I believe it is one of the great ideas to have pool of students at the venue. It is essential to cultivate table tennis culture on the students in this age,” he added. The chief of Cyprus TT Federation also appreciated the OTTC efforts in setting up the facilities at the indoor hall of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, the venue of the Seamaster ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open.